Oklahoma Outdoors - Sportsmen's Empire

Happy Deer Season Eve! This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John keeps it simple and gives you 5 simple tips to make you more successful during the 2024-2025 deer season. Many of us wait all season long for October 1st to roll around, and John wants to make sure that everyone makes the most out of their deer season. This will be John's twentieth deer season, which is hard to believe, but he wants to take all the lessons he has learned over those twenty years and help you be as successful as possible.

In this episode John talks about being patient, waiting for your moment, being selective, and much much more. He also emphasises that if you have not gotten all your preseason work done, now is the time to do it before things really get good. And don't just get things up and running now, but keep everything running from now until the buzzer beeps, because you never know when that buck of a lifetime is going to step out and offer you a clean shot and a chance at glory!

John is coming at you live from Kansas this week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast. John took his mobile studio with him and recorded updates throughout the week in a semi-live format. After covering a lot of miles, John saw a couple really nice bucks and put himself in position to take a really nice 10 point. He still can't explain what happened, but it is quite a story as to how that buck didn't get a ride back home in the back of John's truck. John got to experience strong winds, storms, heat, and a beautiful landscape that is completely different than what he gets to hunt at home.

A long awaited and much anticipated episode this week as John prepares to head north to Kansas to chase open plains whitetails with his muzzleloaders. John starts the episode off by talking about more local things like the deer he is seeing on the ranch and an exciting new property he picked up in Texas. After running cameras for several weeks, the outlook is not looking great so far, and if he had to choose a spot to hunt tomorrow, he would probably find himself hunting public ground.

After the local stuff, John goes outbound and talks about his upcoming trip to Kansas, which if you are listening to this episode when it comes out, he is already there. John discusses his camp set up, his scouting, and what he expects to encounter. John did not have a chance to make a scouting trip over the summer, so he is going in completely blind. Though he did not get to put boots on the ground, he has spent countless hours e-scouting ever since he put in for the tag back in April. He feels confident that with a little gravel under the tire and some dirt under his boots, he can find a spot to take down a big bodied Kansas buck. 

John is joined by a very special guest this week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast. Jeremy Aron, better known as the Do it Yourself Hunter, hails from Mississippi and has been traveling around the country hunting whitetails on public land for decades now. Jeremy has a passion for sharing his adventures and encouraging others to get out of their comfort zone and take advantage of the same opportunities that he enjoys. Jeremy has hunted over 20 states, and has no plans of slowing down any time soon.

Jeremy talks about how he got started hunting out of state, and gives a few pointers for folks looking to plan their first out of state hunt. Jeremy also talks about how he stays mobile out on the road, not only with his hunting setup, but also with his vehicle. Jeremy hunts out of an SUV instead of a pickup so that he can eat, sleep, drive, and camp out of one rig and be as mobile as he needs to be. This is a great episode for anyone looking to take the next step in their hunting career and have their own adventure.

This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John comes to you live from the Southern Plains Outdoor Show. John loaded up the truck with his recording equipment and setup at the show to record interviews with vendors and attendees. To start off the show, John talks to Oklahoma Game Warden Dillon King to cover the new hunting license structure and changes. Warden King also talks about some of the more common mistakes people make while out in the field.

Next on the list are a couple young men who started "Hunting God Outdoors." Hunter, Gunner, and Roman's goal is to bring people closer to God while also enjoying the outdoor pursuits that we all know and love. After the Hunting God Outdoor boys, friend of the show Charles Greer with Whitetail Fanatic Land Consultants stops by the table for a quick summer time update. He and John talk a little food plot strategy and what this fall may bring to each.

To wrap up the show, Daniel McVay and Chancey Holdsworth of Buckventures drop by to talk a little behind the scenes of what it is like to be a part of a major television show. They talk about how much time and work goes into producing a 22 minute episode, and what it takes to put on such a large production. The guys also give some advice for young people who want to get into the industry, and some good ways to get started.

Bill Hart joins John on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast this week to talk about growing, holding, and hunting big Oklahoma bucks. Bill has been hunting Oklahoma since the 1970's and has learned a thing or two over the years about what it takes to hunt and harvest big mature whitetail bucks. Bill and John discuss the environmental and manmade factors that go into putting big bucks on the wall, and how it takes a lot more than just throwing some corn on the ground. Bill talks about his year round feeding program, but also how he does not hunt his feeders in an effort to create a safe space for deer to go to and meet their nutritional needs. John and Bill talk about how to hunt feeders just like a natural food source, and how bedding and does play just as big of a roll in a big bucks life as food does.

This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John is joined by his long time friend Charles Admire for a little preseason BS session. The guys talk about what they have been working on over the summer to help them this upcoming fall, and quickly get into a discussion about how much things have changed since having kids. Charles and John both have 2 year olds, and Charles and his wife recently had their second child. The guys talk about getting older and the delicate life/hunting balance.

John and Charles also spend a good amount of time talking about muzzleloaders, and the challenges they bring. After using iron sights while hunting New Mexico last year, Charles has been swapping the irons out for a scope in order to hunt Oklahoma this fall. John continues to struggle getting his gun to group, and after discovering he was using too much powder, he has little time left to diagnose and problem solve before his upcoming hunting trip in Kansas this September. 

This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John recounts his guided fishing trip down in Florida. Redfish were the number one target for the trip, and one of the highest fish on John's bucket list. His Brother in law Logan tagged along and teamed up with Captain Torin of One More Charters. Right off the bat the guys faced challenges with high summer temps and low tide waters. After some time trying to catch bait, they finally went after the big fish and it turned into a pretty epic morning of fishing.

After the fish tale, John talks about his recent trip up to the McAlester Army Ammunition plant to try and learn a little bit about the area before his hunt in November. The base was open for a traditional bow only 3D course that pushed several archers to their limits. John met some great people, learned some valuable information about the hunt itself, and got a feel for the area. The main thing he learned was just how thick the cedar choked timber was, and how getting a clean shot is going to be extremely difficult!

This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John is joined by Keith Hagen to talk about the upcoming Southern Plains Outdoor Show. The yearly show is meant to be a benefit to help individuals from Oklahoma cover medical expenses due to serious illnesses. Visitors to the show can expect to see vendors, food trucks, and can partake in a cornhole tournament with prizes being awarded to the top team. There are also tons of raffle prizes to be given away, and all proceeds go directly to those in need. The show takes place on August 24th and will be held at The Bridge Church in Mustang, Oklahoma from 10am to 3pm.

This week on the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast, John has a lot of life and hunting season updates to catch everyone up on. He starts off by talking about his most recent trip out to the ranch where he did some work on his new feeder setup for the upcoming season. He also FINALLY got his cell cameras running after getting a bad batch of batteries and his cameras dying after only a few weeks back in mid June. John also talks about some gear updates he has been working on, including a new traditional bow he bought for his upcoming hunt at the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant. John also got a little work done on his compound bow, and learned a few things about muzzleloader accuracy. To finish things off, John also talks a little bit about his fishing plans on his family vacation to Florida.